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| Salvadorian women freedom fighters of the FMLN |
The first topic of discussion was the resolution passed by the Duluth Labor Body calling on the AFL-CIO leadership to authorize the release of the Federation’s archives which cover the activities of the American Institute for Free Labor Development (AIFLD).
These archives along with all the AFL-CIO archives are stored at the University of Maryland. You can view and download the resolution here. As of this week, Afscme Local 444 in Oakland CA passed the resolution with no opposition as did the DSA Chicago Labor Group. The St Paul Minn Labor Council tabled it. This was a partial victory, as the St. Paul Labor Council did not reject the call to open the archives. It was stressed that simply raising this resolution in the unions is important even if it is voted down as it increases awareness of what has been going on in the name of the union membership. We have created a page specifically for documents related to this issue as they arise. You can view previousconference call notes here
Frank Hammer, a former UAW official who is supporting the Duluth resolution to open the archives, came on the call and spoke to us about his brother’s assassination in San Salvador in1981. Frank’s brother, Mike Hammer worked for AIFLD after university and, along with Mark Perlman, were both AIFLD employees. They were assassinated in San Salvador in 1981. Frank has pointed out that it is unusual for a union organizer to receive a state funeral attended by prominent government officials and suspects his brother was working for the CIA.
It is widely believed that AIFLD, funded by US AID, US transnationals and the CIA, and under the direction of sections of the AFL-CIO leadership, was working to infiltrate the labor movements in the less economically developed countries, in tandem with right wing death squads and other violent means, to suppress workers’ resistance.
Also murdered with Hammer and Perlman was peasant union leader Rodolpho Viera. The poor peasants and workers standing up to US corporations in Central and South America were wiped out by right wing death squads trained and funded by the US. There is some information on this issue here and here Frank Hammer’s views on the murder of his brother are here.
Archbishop Romero a champion of the poor, was murdered inMarch 1980, and in December the same year, four US nuns were rapedand murdered by US backed El Salvadorian military. Mike Hammer was murdered in January 1981. We recalled that many of the Liberation Theologians of the Catholic Church, clergy that worked with and supported the poor peasants and workers standing up to US corporations in Central and South America were wiped out by right wing death squads funded by the US. It is inconceivable that the Vatican hierarchy played no role in this, at the very least turning a blind eye to it. By 1989 when six Jesuit priests and their aides were murdered by US backed soldiers of the El Salvadorian government, the conflict was coming to an end.
In Central America and throughout the less economically developed countries the US backed government supported and armed any regime that defended capitalism and corporate interests regardless of human rights abuses as it does today, We discussed how AIFLD was merged with other AFL-CIO agencies in 1997 by AFL-CIO president John Sweeney who had just defeated Tom Donahue in the first contested election for that position in the century. The merged body is now known as the AFL-CIO Solidarity Center that does what is described as “supportive work” in other countries but it has also been suggested that the Solidarity Center may have been involved in the coup to overthrow Chavez in Venezuela in 2001.
It was agreed by the conference call that it is most likely the activity of AIFLD continues under a new name. Its role being to ensure that the workers continue to be enslaved by the transnationals and subservient to US imperialism, resulting in worsening working conditions and environmental destruction.
It was also pointed out how the AFL-CIO worked with the US government when the Solidarity movement developed in Poland. It was correct to support the development of an independent union movement.
But the role of the US government and the AFL-CIO in conjunction with the Roman Catholic Church hierarchy was to make sure that when the Stalinist regimes collapsed they were not replaced by democratic socialist societies, which would have been a step forward but were instead replaced with capitalism. This was followed by a collapse in living standards and wars and conflicts.
The conference also stressed that objection to opening the AIFLD archives can only come from those with something to hide. One argument made is that the trade union movement does not need to air its “dirty laundry” as we are under attack by the bosses and need to show a united face. It was agreed that this is a false argument as if, as many believe, officers of the AFL-CIO have cooperated with the US government in promoting so called free trade agreements, maintaining a union free environment or a weak union environment in places like Mexico, Central and South America, and thereby undermining international solidarity it has also undermined working class struggles in the USA. Strike after strike has been defeated as the heads of organized labor offer concession after concession to employers at their own members’ expense. It is the top union officials support of capitalism that leads them to undermine militancy in the trade union movement at home and abroad.
We finally agreed that there should be a multi-nodal approach aimed at the labor movement but also at our communities and the unorganized. We also talked about politically oriented religious organizations like Catholic Worker for example as many of these organizations would be acutely aware of the violence committed against priests and others who did work among the working class and the peasantry and indigenous people in these communities.
We also discussed the situation of the workers at the Tesla plant in Fremont, once the home of the GM/Toyota Nummi partnership. Tesla fired hundreds of workers last month and many of the workers let go were fired because of their union activity workers say. We decided that to the extent our resources allowed we would keep a closer watch on the Tesla situation as some workers have complained of brutal schedules at the plant and aggressive production goals.
The other main topic on our conference call was the rising of the women in the US and internationally. Every FFWP conference call has had as a main item on its agenda the special oppression of women and the rising movement of opposition to this oppression. In Sweden where the foreign secretary is a woman she has announced that she was going to conduct a feminist foreign policy taking action against the most vicious anti women regimes such as Saudi Arabia, the close friends of US capitalism and the Bush family. Not only in the US but internationally, there is a tidal wave of rage breaking to the surface on the predatory activities of males in positions of power against women and girls and to a lesser extent against boys. There are a number of reasons leading to this great movement.
Trump’s bragging about how he assaulted women and could get away with it has solely egged on the most reactionary elements in society, creatures like Moore in Alabama, but he has evoked an enormous movement of rage and opposition amongst women as evidenced by the Women’s marches, the tidal wave of women finally opening up about the sexual abuse and rampant misogyny in the workplace, e specially in the entertainment industry where male sexual predators have enormous power. These events in turn inspired many courageous women to speak out and the predatory culture is being thrown back on its heels.
Another extremely important reason for this rising of the women is that women have entered the paid workforce as never before. 50% of the world’s factory workers are now women. And this is not only happening in the previously more industrial countries but also in the countries of Latin America, Asia and Africa as the capitalist corporations have moved there to take advantage of the cheap labor. Entering the paid workforce has given women collective power. It has also given them individual power. As one participant on the conference call said he had been told by a working class women in Chicago; “I make my own money now, I don’t have to take shit from any man”. In places like Cambodia, Vietnam, China and Bangladesh, women (and children) have fought pitched battles with the police and company thugs as they protest abusive working conditions. In Cambodia, workers striking plants making apparel for the western retailers like WalMart have been shot. See here and here
The conference call again returned to the issue of censorship of the capitalist mass media in relation to the issue of sexual predatory behavior. With the only exception that we know of where an article was printed in the New York Times titled “Stop Predatory Behavior. Organize”, the mass capitalist media focuses entirely on the need to tackle this epidemic by discussing the issue and by getting lawyers etc. FFWP wrote a letter to the NYT emphasizing the need to organize into unions. This has not been printed, at least not yet. It is absolutely correct to openly discuss this issue, to have it out on the table, to expose the predators. However this discussion is dominated by the capitalist media, and by upper and middle class women who can afford lawyers and who have access to the media. What about the tens and tens of millions of working class women? The way to stop predatory behavior in the workplace and not only for working class women but also women in better-paid jobs is to organize into democratic and fighting trade unions and fight for and win a good contract.
The editor of FFWP Blog is Richard Mellor. He is also organizes the FFWP conference calls. He is a retired heavy equipment operator and retired member of union Local 444 of American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees. He was on the negotiating team and a leader in a 1985 strike at his workplace. The union contract that followed that strike included the following clauses. 1985 was before the issue of sexual assault and predatory behavior in the workplace had the attention it has today.
The relevant clauses are.
Article 4. No Discrimination/Harassment.
Article 4. No Discrimination/Harassment.
4.1.1. There shall be no discrimination of any kind by the
union or the district (management) against any employee, to the extent the
applicable law prohibits such discrimination, harassment, or disparate
treatment, because of race, religion, color, creed, age, marital status,
national origin, sex, sexual orientation, political affiliation, physical or
mental disability.
4.2. Harassment, Disparate Treatment and Inappropriate Behavior
4.2.1 In addition to behavior violative of Section 4.1.1 above the following behavior will not be permitted, tolerated or condoned:
4.2. Harassment, Disparate Treatment and Inappropriate Behavior
4.2.1 In addition to behavior violative of Section 4.1.1 above the following behavior will not be permitted, tolerated or condoned:
Abusive, threatening or intimidating behavior, gestures or
language.
There was more and these are the kind of clauses and protections that can be won in union contracts. The example of Local 444 should be taken up as an example around which to organize into democratic fighting unions. Organizing for, winning and enforcing such clauses through job actions, and if necessary strike action, is the way to change the culture in the work places.
The reason the capitalist media does not give coverage to the need to organize in the workplace, the reason the bosses’ politicians will not talk about the need to organize into unions, is very simple. Women in unions make on average $200 per week more than women not in unions. The gender wage gap for union members is half that for non-union members. Unionizing the workplaces is a nightmare scenario for the bosses. It would drastically cut into their profits if non-union workplaces were unionized. Equal pay for work of equal value would end the boss’s use of women as cheap labor. This is why the media they own and control refuses to give coverage to the need to organize when they talk about the need to end harassment in the workplace. They want to keep women as cheap labor. They want to keep women and all workers unorganized and divided.
Organizing in the workplace would not only mean increased opportunity to win equal pay and benefits and better pay. It would also mean an organization, a structure, through which to fight against predatory abusive behavior and gender discrimination in general. This is what is possible with a strong union presence. This is the way to fight predatory behavior. Organize in democratic fighting unions.
The conference call again discussed the role of the leadership of the 14 million strong unions in the AFL-CIO. Some may think FFWP are too critical of these leaders. We think not.
Consider this: There is non-stop talk about predatory behavior of men especially men in powerful positions, bosses, politicians etc in the workplace. The situation in the workplaces of the US is on the agenda and on peoples’ minds and lips. You cannot turn on the TV or radio without it being talked about. What an opportunity this presents to raise the case for collective organization and unions, and beyond that, what a responsibility to act now.
The union leadership that controls the resources and members of the 14 million members of the unions are doing what? Nothing. They should be mobilizing all their resources and be launching a union organizing drive on this issue such as has never been launched since the rise of the CIO and industrial unions in the 1930’s. In that period union membership went from 2 million to over 12 million. Today if the union leaders went on the offensive, linking as they should, the issue of sexual abuse and discrimination with wages, benefits, pensions, security etc., tens and tens of millions of women and men workers could be organized. The union movement could be transformed. This is no exaggeration. But this is the reason why the union leaders will not act.
The last thing the union leadership wants is a transformed union movement, especially with tens of millions of new women members demanding, as they are now, an end to their special oppression and being used as cheap labor. The union leaders believe that there is no alternative to capitalism. They therefore believe that they must cooperate with capitalism. This means in this period cooperating with capitalism as it cuts wages and worsens conditions. The union leaders do not want successful strikes or movements. This would undermine their entire policy of cooperating with the bosses. And would expose their role in breaking strikes which they have done over the past decades. The union leaders are also aware that a newly energized union movement with tens of millions of new members, especially women members would threaten their own positions of privilege with their obscene salaries and perks. These leaders will not lead.
What is necessary is for the ranks of the union movement to recognize this and to act themselves. Go to our local union meetings, our labor council meetings. Demand the opening of the books of the union. Demand to see where the money of the members is spent where the full time resources of the unions are directed. From such an examination then move resolutions to take these resources and put an end to the obscene salaries the top officials make.
All full time union officials should be paid no more than the average wage of the members they represent. Stop handing out money to the Democratic Party and lobbyists. Put the money into hiring rank and file activists, to provide the resources, printing social media etc. to launch a major organizing drive in the workplaces to end the predatory culture in the workplaces and to bring the pay of women workers up to that of male workers and to bring the pay of all up to a living wage with full benefits.
FFWP conference calls agreed that we will use our blog and will put what resources we have to try and make contact with workers and activists in the unions and not in the unions to act in this way. Those in unions should set up rank and file organizing committees, reach out to non-union workers, reach out to the rising women’s movement and help them organize. Many activists, leftists among them, do reach out to external issues but that cannot be done without aggressively defending and fighting for the members on the job. We cannot and will not get the average dues payer to become active in issues beyond the immediate workplace if we cannot produce the goods in the workplace, where the “Rubber meets the road.”
This would transform the workplace relations and change the balance of forces between the people who are victims of the predatory culture and it would also change the balance of forces between the classes in the US. This is why the bosses capitalist media keeps any talk of organizing in unions out of the discussion about the predatory culture that exists.
There was little time for further discussion on the conference call. It was commented on that Trump came back from his Asia trip with nothing. It was still felt that there would not be a war with North Korea. At home the Mueller probe continues and gets closer to Trump. He will either be caught in this or he will fire Mueller and this will most likely lead to a constitutional crisis and possibly the bringing down of Trump. If this happens there will likely be a split in the Republican Party and possibly a new more right wing party emerge. The Democrats are also in crisis as they wish to stay close to the big money and Wall Street while at the same time try and get the ear of the tens of millions who are angry at their lot as the capitalist offensive continues. It was felt that the position that FFWP has held for some time that we are in the process of the ending of the two capitalist party monopoly, the Republicans and Democrats, over US politics is ending.
US capitalism goes deeper into its political, environmental and military crisis. Its economic crisis is temporarily postponed by its massive piling up of debt. But this is only preparing the ground for a greater crisis when the coming recession or slump hits.
It was stated and we state again here, that anybody who wishes to help with getting support for the Duluth resolution to open the AIFLD files please contact us through our FFWP e mail address or our Facebook page and and talk to us about coming on our conference call to this end.
There was more and these are the kind of clauses and protections that can be won in union contracts. The example of Local 444 should be taken up as an example around which to organize into democratic fighting unions. Organizing for, winning and enforcing such clauses through job actions, and if necessary strike action, is the way to change the culture in the work places.
The reason the capitalist media does not give coverage to the need to organize in the workplace, the reason the bosses’ politicians will not talk about the need to organize into unions, is very simple. Women in unions make on average $200 per week more than women not in unions. The gender wage gap for union members is half that for non-union members. Unionizing the workplaces is a nightmare scenario for the bosses. It would drastically cut into their profits if non-union workplaces were unionized. Equal pay for work of equal value would end the boss’s use of women as cheap labor. This is why the media they own and control refuses to give coverage to the need to organize when they talk about the need to end harassment in the workplace. They want to keep women as cheap labor. They want to keep women and all workers unorganized and divided.
Organizing in the workplace would not only mean increased opportunity to win equal pay and benefits and better pay. It would also mean an organization, a structure, through which to fight against predatory abusive behavior and gender discrimination in general. This is what is possible with a strong union presence. This is the way to fight predatory behavior. Organize in democratic fighting unions.
The conference call again discussed the role of the leadership of the 14 million strong unions in the AFL-CIO. Some may think FFWP are too critical of these leaders. We think not.
Consider this: There is non-stop talk about predatory behavior of men especially men in powerful positions, bosses, politicians etc in the workplace. The situation in the workplaces of the US is on the agenda and on peoples’ minds and lips. You cannot turn on the TV or radio without it being talked about. What an opportunity this presents to raise the case for collective organization and unions, and beyond that, what a responsibility to act now.
The union leadership that controls the resources and members of the 14 million members of the unions are doing what? Nothing. They should be mobilizing all their resources and be launching a union organizing drive on this issue such as has never been launched since the rise of the CIO and industrial unions in the 1930’s. In that period union membership went from 2 million to over 12 million. Today if the union leaders went on the offensive, linking as they should, the issue of sexual abuse and discrimination with wages, benefits, pensions, security etc., tens and tens of millions of women and men workers could be organized. The union movement could be transformed. This is no exaggeration. But this is the reason why the union leaders will not act.
The last thing the union leadership wants is a transformed union movement, especially with tens of millions of new women members demanding, as they are now, an end to their special oppression and being used as cheap labor. The union leaders believe that there is no alternative to capitalism. They therefore believe that they must cooperate with capitalism. This means in this period cooperating with capitalism as it cuts wages and worsens conditions. The union leaders do not want successful strikes or movements. This would undermine their entire policy of cooperating with the bosses. And would expose their role in breaking strikes which they have done over the past decades. The union leaders are also aware that a newly energized union movement with tens of millions of new members, especially women members would threaten their own positions of privilege with their obscene salaries and perks. These leaders will not lead.
What is necessary is for the ranks of the union movement to recognize this and to act themselves. Go to our local union meetings, our labor council meetings. Demand the opening of the books of the union. Demand to see where the money of the members is spent where the full time resources of the unions are directed. From such an examination then move resolutions to take these resources and put an end to the obscene salaries the top officials make.
All full time union officials should be paid no more than the average wage of the members they represent. Stop handing out money to the Democratic Party and lobbyists. Put the money into hiring rank and file activists, to provide the resources, printing social media etc. to launch a major organizing drive in the workplaces to end the predatory culture in the workplaces and to bring the pay of women workers up to that of male workers and to bring the pay of all up to a living wage with full benefits.
FFWP conference calls agreed that we will use our blog and will put what resources we have to try and make contact with workers and activists in the unions and not in the unions to act in this way. Those in unions should set up rank and file organizing committees, reach out to non-union workers, reach out to the rising women’s movement and help them organize. Many activists, leftists among them, do reach out to external issues but that cannot be done without aggressively defending and fighting for the members on the job. We cannot and will not get the average dues payer to become active in issues beyond the immediate workplace if we cannot produce the goods in the workplace, where the “Rubber meets the road.”
This would transform the workplace relations and change the balance of forces between the people who are victims of the predatory culture and it would also change the balance of forces between the classes in the US. This is why the bosses capitalist media keeps any talk of organizing in unions out of the discussion about the predatory culture that exists.
There was little time for further discussion on the conference call. It was commented on that Trump came back from his Asia trip with nothing. It was still felt that there would not be a war with North Korea. At home the Mueller probe continues and gets closer to Trump. He will either be caught in this or he will fire Mueller and this will most likely lead to a constitutional crisis and possibly the bringing down of Trump. If this happens there will likely be a split in the Republican Party and possibly a new more right wing party emerge. The Democrats are also in crisis as they wish to stay close to the big money and Wall Street while at the same time try and get the ear of the tens of millions who are angry at their lot as the capitalist offensive continues. It was felt that the position that FFWP has held for some time that we are in the process of the ending of the two capitalist party monopoly, the Republicans and Democrats, over US politics is ending.
US capitalism goes deeper into its political, environmental and military crisis. Its economic crisis is temporarily postponed by its massive piling up of debt. But this is only preparing the ground for a greater crisis when the coming recession or slump hits.
It was stated and we state again here, that anybody who wishes to help with getting support for the Duluth resolution to open the AIFLD files please contact us through our FFWP e mail address or our Facebook page and and talk to us about coming on our conference call to this end.
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